Texas reports 22nd month of job growth

Houston and the rest of Texas continue to avoid the renewed job woes that have shaken the national economy of late.

The state added 12,500 nonfarm jobs in May, the Texas Workforce Commission reported Friday, marking the 22nd straight month of growth. Since May 2011, the state has added 237,100 jobs.

"Over the past year, private sector employment in Texas has shown an encouraging 3.3 percent annual growth rate," Workforce Commission Chairman Andres Alcantar said in a statement. "It is a positive sign that a number of Texas industries added jobs in May, led by professional and business services, with an increase of 8,500 jobs."

Excluding government, which continues to shed jobs, Texas gained 287,800 private-sector jobs over the past 12 months. The leisure and hospitality industry led the way during that period with 52,000 new jobs statewide.

Data for the Houston metropolitan area also include encouraging news, said Barton Smith, professor emeritus of economics at the University of Houston.